Our first ever Twin Cities Veg Fest is making progress! We've found some sponsors and speakers, and we've got a website with great resources.

We're hosting a day-long celebration of all things veg on July 14, 2012 in Coffman Memorial Union. We're looking forward to great food, speakers, and fun! This will be a great opportunity to learn more about animal ethics and vegan eating, and share time with like-minded folks.

Please:

• Mark your calendar for July 14.
• Check out our website and our nice new logo.
• Let us know if you're interested in sponsoring, or know of somebody who would like to sponsor us.
• Follow us on Facebook or Twitter and refer us to your friends!
• Check back later for a list of sponsors, exhibitors, and speakers. We're also going to want your help to advertise the event!

Are you vegan living on a budget? Whether you're vegan, vegetarian, or just flirting with the idea of trying a plant-based diet, Eat Vegan on $4 a Day by Ellen Jaffe Jones will help penny-pinching veggie enthusiasts try new recipes without breaking the bank. Eating on $4 a day may be laughable, but once you dive into this vegan cookbook, you'll realize how reasonable and sensible this minimal chunk of change can be.

Review by Amber Buening

Before getting into the money-saving recipes, her introduction covers a wide array of cost-effective techniques and ethical positions around veganism. She gives several helpful tips to cut grocery store costs, some obvious like buying store brand items (even store brand organic!), some insightful like only bringing cash (which causes you to limit your purchase to necessities), and some time-consuming like tracking and comparing prices from different stores. However, if you are pressed for time, she has a few helpful tips to condense time-consuming food preparation and price-comparison shopping, explaining the benefits of cooking from scratch and comparing prices.

Jones further explains the damaging health effects of hormones, pesticides and mercury found in many animals and why plant-based diets can save on health care costs, preventing many diseases associated with chemicals found in meat, dairy, eggs, and fish. She states that, "paying for illness is expensive whether the money comes out of your pocket or the government's." She clarifies the complexities behind health research, advertising and policy dollars, marketing and why agencies are not promoting a healthy, plant-based diet when it can solve many of the health problems facing our society today.

Additional health benefits can also be achieved buying organic, local produce. Jones advocates for seasonal food, which can be the cheapest and freshest. Try a local farmer's market, CSA, or Co-op! Can't afford to buy entirely organic produce? Then just make sure to avoid the "Dirty Dozen" most pesticide and chemically covered food, which Jones identifies. By spending a bit more on these twelve organic items, you'll drastically decrease the amount of chemicals ingested and save money in the long run on medical bills.

If you're looking for helpful information on nutrition and how to eat healthy as a vegan, Jones has a great section explaining what different types of food we need and how much of each. She even goes further to explain how to cook these different foods from scratch (ratio of water to legumes/grains and length of cooking time). Struggling to stay on track or make the switch to vegetarianism or veganism? Jones also has some basic advice on how to overcome temptations left by roommates or family members who buy and eat foods that are not included in a vegan diet.

After this lengthy, but helpful, introduction, Jones dishes out recipes (sans pictures) for almost any occasion, noting the price per serving of each meal, which is helpful for the near future, but may become inaccurate as inflation occurs and produce prices increase. Many of these dishes are inexpensive, but some, like certain $3 salad servings, are costly and would be difficult to include in any "$4 a day" budget. For some recipes (but not all), she also lists expiration dates, and unfortunately, some salad dressings only last 4 days. In other words, be aware of price fluctuation and inconsistencies when perusing Eat Vegan on $4 a Day! If you're not sure where to start, try her menu plan – 7 days of meals all costing under $4 a day ($28 for the entire week)!

Do you enjoy Subway's Veggie Delight sandwich but wish you could feast on a "meatier" animal-friendly meal? Our allies at Compassion Over Killing have successfully lobbied Subway, and now select Subway restaurants throughout Canada are starting to dish out an all-vegan patty, promoted as the "Totally Vegged" vegetable patty!

What about restaurants in the US? While the vegan patty is currently only available in select locations in Canada, with enough positive feedback from consumers eager to see this option available everywhere, the company may decide to expand all of its menus. (Note: while some US locations may offer a veggie patty, it's unfortunately made with egg). That's why we need your help today:

Visit WeLoveSubway.com and call Subway at 203-877-4281 to add your voice to the thousands of others who are urging the company to add hearty vegan options to all of its menus.

Looking for veg-friendly restaurants? Then check out VegGuide, our online guide to veg-friendly restaurants and shopping! VegGuide has over 16,000 entries world-wide, and there are all sorts of features to help you find them. You can search for entries near a specific address, look for only vegan-friendly places, and much more. When you visit the front page, it automatically finds the restaurants nearest to you. Whether you are at home or on the road, VegGuide has everything you need to make your dining experience a pleasure.

VegGuide is a community-driven website, and anyone can rate an entry, write a review, or add a new entry. If you've visited a restaurant recently that you loved or hated, share that with us. To rate a place you've visited, just go that place's entry on the guide and use the stars to the right of the entry's name. Every entry also has a "Write your review" button below those stars. We love new reviews!

You can also upload photos like building exteriors or dishes you've eaten. Every entry has a button on right labeled "Add/edit images". Click on that button for the image uploading form.

To add a new entry, just find the region it's located in and click on the "Add Entry" button near the top of the page. You'll be prompted to fill out a form describing the restaurant (or bakery, etc.) that you want to add. Once you've added the entry, please rate it and write a review.

VegGuide is a project run in partnership between Compassionate Action for Animals, Farm Sanctuary, The Humane League, Mercy for Animals, and Vegan Outreach

Visit VegGuide now or go straight to the Twin Cities area listings.

While people are gathering together with family and friends for the holidays, many will not consider how the Thanksgiving turkey ended up as their centerpiece or how the holiday ham made it from farm to fork. At Compassionate Action for Animals we will be working hard to bring to light the many injustices animals will suffer, mostly out of tradition, this holiday season.

Yours for the animals,

Unny Nambudiripad

Executive Director

Make this delicious vegan pumpkin pie recipe and impress all your friends and relatives!

Go to our recipe page for this delicious vegan pumpkin pie.